


Her Last Mystery

by CelinaCorey



Category: Charmed, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complete, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Early Work, F/M, Sexual Assault, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-28
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 08:23:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/659866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelinaCorey/pseuds/CelinaCorey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been six years since the battle against Voldemort and, even after an unexpected heartbreak, Hermione's life is finally going her way.  That is, until she meets a strikingly handsome man in Venice.  The next time they meet, he kidnaps her!  He then tries to apologize and court her, but she refuses to so much as admit to herself her attraction to him.  But even stranger things are billowing.  She begins having dreams wherein she is being whispered to from beyond the grave.  At first unwillingly, Hermione is reunited with her captor and they get locked together in the mission to save someone who might not be dead;  along the way, almost loosing one of their own.  Through their mission will they fall in love?  Or will Hermione's heart stay locked to this man?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Poveglia

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written a few years ago now, and I spent quite some time wondering if I should post this here. I'm not sure how I feel about it anymore, but a lot of people seemed to like the story, so here goes...
> 
> I do not own any recognizable content in this story!

**Prologue:**  
" _Poveglia_ "

Some five miles of the coast of Venice, Italy lies an island of foreboding. Its dark history bids visitors to stay away. To the locals it is known as the Island of the Dead, or the Land of No Return. However, for most it is simply called: Poveglia. During the daylight hours, Poveglia is a place of beauty and what would appear to be peace, but come night-fall the place holds an aura of evil.

The history of Poveglia dates back to the 1300s during the Bubonic Plague, more commonly known as the Black Death. With much of Venice's population either dead or dying, authorities needed a solution to isolate the sick. Their "solution" was to take the sick and force them into boats, hooded, and cart them away to an unknown place. This unknown place was Poveglia.

Once on Poveglia, the sick would be buried in Plague Pits, even though some were still alive. Then the pits would be burned. The piles of the dead were so massive that it has been said that they reached all the way Hell. To this day, the ashes remain and bones are still scoured up by fishermen in the nearby waters.

But the haunting history of Poveglia does not stop with the Black Death. Hundreds of years later, in 1922, a hospital was opened on its grounds. It was not long until patients began to see spirits from the tragedy six hundred years prior. The Head Surgeon believed them to be mental and took upon himself the opportunity to study and experiment with the human brain. It is said that if you went into his office, you never came back out. Some time later, the surgeon was pushed by unseen hands from the bell tower atop the hospital; from which, though the bell was removed in the 1930s and the tower since bricked up, you can still hear the bell ringing from time to time.

With an active history such as this, only the brave at heart would dare visit this island…


	2. Venice

**Chapter One:  
** " _Venice_ "

She sat with her parents and cherished the thought of her birthday soon to come. It was a blessing that she was allowed another birthday, another year of life. Six years ago, she almost lost that blessing as she and her friends, Harry and Ron, embarked on a journey that very nearly cost them both their friendships and their lives. Thankfully, however, chance allowed the three the blessing of future birthdays and though her friends did not seem to fully appreciate this gift, Hermione Granger would never take another birthday for granted.

This particular year she would be twenty-one and she chose to celebrate her blessing early with her parents in what appeared to be the one place they'd never visited: Venice, Italy. Sure they'd visited Roma, Verona, Mantua and even Bologna, yet they'd never visited Venice. It was for this reason, that when Hermione's birthday came around she seized the chance to go. After all, you only live once and you might as well live it right.

Hermione sat, with her back to the wall, facing her parents and the rest of the restaurant in which they were waiting for the check. It was beginning to fill with various types of people who wished to eat their evening meal. She saw couples on their honeymoon, couples who'd been married for decades and couples who seemed to be on their first date. She saw families on vacation, various groups and the occasional loner. But out of all the various groups and people, one man caught her undivided attention.

He had short, dark-brown hair and a well-chiseled face. She could not be sure, because of distance, of the colour of his eyes, but she was convinced that they would be green in colour. He wore a black button-up shirt and was clean shaven. Hermione's overall opinion of him was stunning. Looking beside him, she saw what could only be his brother. Though he had short, blonde hair, it was easy to see that the two shared similar features. While one had a sharp square chin, the other had a very similar shaped chin but simply more rounded. They both owned the same nose and eye shape, though with differently shaped eyebrows. Despite the intense similarities, Hermione found herself drawn more so to the darker-haired of the two, for some inexplicable reason.

Drawing her away from her distraction, the man of her interest called a waitress over to him, handed her a napkin and explained something that appeared to be important. Hermione watched the waitress go into the kitchen and then return with a glass of wine, but instead of heading back towards the man, she seemed to be headed towards Hermione. Hermione's breath quickened when she realized he was attempting to pass her a note, and she felt like a school girl experiencing her first crush. Then embarrassment struck her; had he caught her staring and was politely asking her to stop? Playing with her charm bracelet, she hoped that a flush did not grace her cheeks. Finally, the waitress reached her and handed the napkin and wine to her, explaining that it was already paid for. Before her parents could see the note, she snatched up the napkin and read:

> _Piazza di San Marco  
> _ _10:30 pm  
> _ _-C.H._

She could not help but smile. He wanted to meet her and talk to her. But before her mind could think anymore, she watched him and his brother get up and leave the restaurant; she watched him approach the door and before he walked out, he winked at her. She felt her stomach do a little flip and she struggled to compose herself. Moments later, Hermione and her parents left the restaurant and returned to the hotel, where they would stay for the night and then leave the next morning for London.

* * *

Later on that night, Hermione woke and quietly exited the hotel room, so as not to disturb her parents just on the other side of the walls. As she left the room, she realized that she could not be gone long. Her parents would have a panic attack if they woke in the morning and she was not there. She sighed, they treated her like she was still fifteen sometimes. Hoping she was not making a big mistake in meeting this man that she did not know, she left the comfort and solitude of the beautiful Hotel Concordia and took the few steps it took to get to St. Mark's Plaza.

In the night, the Plaza seemed empty, save a few. Hermione glanced around and did not immediately see  _C.H._  She looked at her watch and saw that she was five minutes early. Suddenly, she felt foolish and idiotic. Here she was, waiting for a man whom could end up raping her, or worse kill her. What happened to never taking life for granted? She was risking her life only because of mere curiosity.  _Curiosity killed the cat._

She knew she should leave but for some bizarre reason, she could not bring herself to do so. Finally, she willed herself to take the step to return to the hotel but just as she did so, she felt a hand grace her shoulder. She spun around, her hand on her wand, ready to curse whomever intended her harm and not caring that at least ten muggles would see. She'd rather face exposure than face her death. Her life was too special and just now settling into place, she would not loose it.

But as she met the face of her attacker she calmed. There stood  _C.H._ , calmly in front of her as if he were merely greeting an old friend. All thoughts of curses dissipated from her mind when she saw him smiling at her, and only the thought of learning more about this intriguing creature filled her mind.

"Hi. I'm Chris Halliwell. I saw you at the restaurant watching me and thought it be nice to properly meet you, since you appear to have an interest in me," he stretched his hand out to her, willing her to shake it.

Slowly, she reached her hand to his and shook it, "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to actually meet you."

He smiled and appeared to be pondering whether or not to say something, then decided against it and then, finally deciding to say it, ventured, "So tell me about yourself…"

Hermione nearly laughed at the cheesy-ness of the line, but decided it would be better not to. She was so wrapped up in her amusement that almost forgot to answer. And so she launched into explaining the basics about herself, while leaving out that she was a witch, of course. After she told him about her, he told her about him. She learned that he had an older brother named Wyatt and a little sister named Melinda. His mother once owned a club, that she gave to him and his brother, but now owned a very successful restaurant. She learned that he lived, though she didn't find out where, with his brother in an apartment near his family home but that he really was only ever there to sleep. The more she learned, the more intrigued she was by him. Then, the clock struck twelve and she felt like Cinderella leaving the ball and running out of time.

He nearly begged her not to go, but she knew she had to. The next morning, she would be leaving for London. As she said her good bye, he stared at her intensely and then brushed a small piece of hair out of her face. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, even wanted him to, but he seemed to have decided not to and merely settled for saying good bye.

"Good bye, Hermione," and then before he walked off solemnly, "Until we meet again."

And then she too, walked off and returned to her hotel. But unbeknownst to Hermione, the simple charm bracelet she'd been wearing that night had slipped off her wrist as she walked away and was now in the possession of a Mr. Chris Halliwell.


	3. Enigmas

**Chapter Two:  
** " _Enigmas_ " 

She was tired, dreadfully tired. She had not slept well in days and now she was expected to work. But even as she cursed the amount of papers before her, she knew that it was only herself she could blame.  _She'd_  been the one who stayed in the Plaza until midnight with Chris two nights ago.  _She'd_  been the one who had perused through very nearly every book she owned until three the night before just to keep him off her mind. And it was  _she_  who'd decided to be an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries. Yes, it was her fault indeed.

But Hermione loved her job, which was a fact that she could not deny, even though right now she wanted nothing more than to be at home sleeping soundly in her bed. She worked studying the Death Chamber, which, to her great delight, required quite a bit of research. In fact, that was what her work was: research. She spent her days scrutinizing every little detail of random pieces of papers in hopes that she would one day find the answer to what lies within the Death Chamber: the Veil. The Veil, perhaps, is what drew her to the job in the first place. She felt she owed it to Sirius to at least understand the very thing that took his life. As she read the numerous records on her desk, a sheet of paper caught her attention. It held two very small passages written separately and, to her surprise and delight, in English: 

> _All time halts for those who seek_  
>  _fortunes bitter enemy_  
>  _Lies who haunt but do not speak  
> _ _in grief of secret  
> _ _forever hidden in secrecy_  

 

> _In the path of the sun_  
>  _a never ending orbit_  
>  _The circle stops for no man  
> _ _yet seems stops when there is no  
> _ _man left to live it_

She was completely confused, and yet she felt as if this could hold the key to what she'd been searching for. Her heart raced and her palms began to sweat. All this time could really have been this simple? She needed to calm herself, she needed to breathe and to rationalize. She'd only just found the passages and was making irrational assumptions. She still needed to understand to the fullest extent what they meant, especially before she launched a rescue mission…assuming such a thing was possible or plausible. Deciding it best she get a second opinion, she made her way to the Head Unspeakable. She was one of the few graced with the permission of doing so. Most came to the Head Unspeakable with meaningless runes that merely described a proposal for a cure of dragonpox when everyone knew that the proposal on the paper had been ruled out five hundred years ago! Hermione, however, came to her boss with very valuable records and knowledgeable explanations to go with them, thusly she was allowed pretty much anything at work.

She knocked on the office door and for a split second reconsidered, but as her boss opened the door she realized it was a little to late for that. Hermione very cautiously, as she always did and would always do, explained what she had found, what she thought of it and, showing her the paper, admitted she was otherwise utterly perplexed. The Head Unspeakable took the paper from her hands, furrowed her eyebrows and pursed out her lips. Hermione watched her eyes scan over and over the passages as if trying to take in every single detail, yet not fully understanding any of it. Finally, she looked up and handed the paper back to Hermione.

"You did good. I like what you found," she paused as if to evaluate what she was saying and what she wanted to say, "Study it some more, I want to know what it means. All your other work will be transferred to my apprentice, you are to work on that until you know what it means…understand?"

When Hermione replied that she did, her boss flung her arm at her dismissively, "Good…Now go!"

Hermione left and returned to her office, where, to her surprise, all of the papers that once were there…were gone. She left out a very enthused sigh and sat down, barely containing her excitement. Finally! She was being put on her own assignment, one that no one else was on! Finally, she'd get all the credit for what she discovered. It was like a dream come true. Not wanting to delay any longer, she began to read and read the passages until she actually knew them by heart, though her memory of them did not stop her from continuously reading them more. Suddenly, green flames erupted in the small fireplace in the corner of her office. Appearing through them, was a vase of flowers and a small note attached to the vase.

She, grunting, got up from her desk and walked over to the flowers and the note. Part of her hoped that the flowers were from Chris, but she knew that it was impossible. He was just a muggle with no special powers and would not have access to the floo network. She read the note and, to her frustration, discovered the flowers were from Ron: 

> _Hermione,  
> _ _I know you must hate me, and I just want you to know that I am greatly sorry. I did not respect you or our relationship. I'd like another chance, if you'll have me. Hermione, I love you. I want nothing more than for you to be happy, and be with you if you'll accept me. But if you no longer want me and that is what makes you happy, then I will try to respect your decision._
> 
> _Begging your forgiveness,  
> _ _Ron_

Hermione sighed so loud and angrily that she was worried people all across the world had heard. How could he ask her to forgive him after what he did? Did he think she had no self respect? Was he really that inconsiderate? Grabbing a quill and parchment, she wrote down a response for him:

> _Ronald,  
> _ _You know just as well as I that it is not easy to forgive someone who has hurt you, though I am trying. And Ronald, I am flattered that you still choose me but I regrettably have no interest in a committing relationship at the moment. I truly am sorry._
> 
> _Always,  
> _ _Hermione_

She sent the letter and then dared a glance at the clock and, almost to her relief, saw that it time for her to go home. She nearly laughed at the irony of it. Hermione Jean Granger actually wanting to go home from work? Ha! Despite the hilarity of it all, she really wanted to go home and lay in her bed. And so she left work and went home to her quaint apartment in the heart of London, not quite that far from the Leaky Cauldron. She looked around and saw that everything was in its place. The kitchen was still clean, the small dining area still cluttered in paper and the living area still was stack high with books and was only visible because of the small sofa she hardly ever used, unless, of course, she was upset and wanted to stay up all night eating ice cream.

Taking advantage of being home, she placed her papers on the dining table and headed straight for the bed, wherein she succumbed to sleep immediately. Some time later, she woke with hunger and realized that she had not ate a thing since breakfast that day. She glanced at her clock and saw that it was only two in the afternoon. Deciding she could wait a while until the evening meal, she went to her dining area and began to study the papers once more:

> _All time halts for those who seek_  
>  _fortunes bitter enemy_  
>  _Lies who Halliwell but do not speak  
> _ _in grief of secret  
> _ _forever hidden in secrecy_

> _In the path of the sun_  
>  _a never ending orbit_  
>  _The circle stops for no man  
> _ _yet seems stops when there is no  
> _ _Chris Halliwe--_

_What the Bloody Hell?!_  she thought to herself as she looked at her written copies of the passages. Something to do with Chris Halliwell written no less than two times! And surrounded by little hearts! Of all the childish, immature and naïve things to do! This was not Hermione Granger, this was a teenager! And Hermione was a teenage no longer! She was an adult for Merlin's sake! A strong and individual woman, and, damn it, she was not going to let one amazing night with an amazing person of the male gender cause her to defy the customs she had set up for herself.  _There's nothing more worse than that!_  Oh, but Hermione Granger thought wrong. There was, indeed, something far worse than that.

Mere seconds later, her best friend, Ginny Weasley, flooed in. Hermione was utterly horrified. Should she see the name and hearts, Hermione would never, ever, be allowed to hear the end of it. Scrambling the papers together and stacking them so that the embarrassment sat at the bottom, Hermione desperately attempted to hide the paper. But alas, she was too late.

"What are you trying to hide?"

Ginny's voice was cloaked in deep amusement. Hermione felt the colour rising up her cheeks and knew that there was no way possible for her to avoid the conversation to come, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

Taking a deep breath, she launched into as good as a lie as she was going to be able to muster, "Nothing. I'm just trying to clean up some."

Ginny laughed, "Then why are you turning bright red?"

"No reason…"

"Oh, come on, Hermione. We all know you're a terrible liar," she said as she took a step towards the table and with the skill of quickness from having six brothers, plucked the paper Hermione had tried to hide from the stack and read it. After a few moments, she laughed again and questioned with relish in her voice, "Who's  _Chris Halliwell_?"

"Nobody."

"Oh, but of course…we all right random peoples' names on our work and put little hearts around them, though they are nobody to us."

Hermione buried her face in her hands and was silent for a few moments; Ginny, it seemed, grew impatient, "Well, who is he?"

"A guy…I met in Venice."

"You mean, you met a guy when you were in Venice with your parents?"

Hermione sighed, "Yes. We met on my last night at the restaurant and he ordered me wine with a note on a napkin--"

"What did the note say?!"

Ginny was now turning into her social butterfly self and wanted to know all the juicy details. Hermione sighed and tried with all her might to avoid the conversation, to learn why Ginny had come in the first place, but it seemed her best friend would not allow a change in conversation until she gathered whatever information she could.

"Well…?"

"He wanted to meet me in St. Mark's Plaza that night at 10:30."

"Did you go?"

"Yes…"

Ginny squealed and Hermione was being to wonder what was mentally wrong with her, "What happened? Did he kiss you? Was there more than kissing?"

After removing her hands from her ears, Hermione sighed for what felt like the millionth time since Ginny had arrived, "We talked. No he did not kiss me--and no I did not kiss him. Nothing happened…we just talked."

Ginny appeared a bit put down by the lack of interesting details that would suffice to her liking and chose to create her own amusement, "You  _love_  him."

"What?! No, I don't!"

"Maybe not  _yet_."

"I won't ever love him! We don't even talk anymore--"

"You mean you haven't talked  _yet_ ," Ginny interrupted.

Hermione sighed a very exasperated sigh and asked, "What did you come here for anyway?"

Ginny merely shrugged and said, "We're having a big dinner at the Burrow tonight and I want you to come. Will you?"

"I'd rather not. I've got things I need to do."

"Oh, come on. Please?"

"Ginny, I've got work to do."

"Hermione, please! You  _have_  to be there! It's  _important_."

"Alright, fine. But I'm just staying for dinner. I can't stay long."

Ginny smiled and said, "I'll see you at five," and then flooed back to her home.

Glancing at the clock, Hermione saw that it was now four. Sighing in her defeat, she got up from her seat and went to her bedroom, where she changed into an unpretentious white shirt and black skirt. It reminded her of her Hogwarts uniform and maybe that's why she liked it so much, the simplicity of it all. Grabbing a book, she sat down in a chair and read to pass the time until she would have to leave. When she finally saw that it was time to leave, she got up, put the book away and flooed to the Burrow.

Molly greeted her at the gate, began dusting off her shoulders and said, "Hermione, dear, so glad you could come. They haven't told you have they?"

"They haven't told me what?"

Molly chuckled, "Oh, I don't even know. It's why we're all here, though."

"Mrs. Weasley, I really don't know what you are talking about."

"Ginny didn't tell you?"

Hermione saw Ginny look up at the sound of her name, "No, she just said that there was a big dinner here tonight."

Molly smiled, "Why, Harry and her have got us all together to tell us some really big new! No one knows for sure what it is, but we all have our guesses!"

Molly was absolutely beaming, and now Hermione understood why. It was almost obvious that Harry and Ginny were engaged. After all, they'd been dating since sixth year. Well, unless you considered when they broke up for her protection. Hermione smiled; it was about time they got married. And now all they needed was a confirmation…

Molly set the table singing to a very appropriate song:  _Enchantress_  by Celestina Warbeck. As she looked on, Hermione found herself humming with her and eventually singing with her. When she began to help set the table, Ginny came in and began to sing as well. Hermione could feel all eyes on them from the living area, but no one appeared to care; they just continued singing.

" _There's no other good witch, no. No other good witch for you…I'm your Enchantress._ "

And so ended the song and all three witches were left alone in the kitchen to do nothing but blush and attempt to hide their embarrassment. When finally dinner was served, everyone sat down at the table to eat and make conversation. Hermione saw that all of Harry and Ginny's close friends and family were there. After their food was eaten and they felt as if they could eat no more, Molly announced dessert. Hermione watched as Ginny looked to Harry, who nodded, and then stood while she cleared her throat, as if to speak. When all eyes had been bestowed upon her, she began.

"As you all know, Harry and I have gathered you all together for some big news," she paused, creating a near-tangible aura anticipation in the air, "and I suppose now would be a fairly decent time to tell you."

She was silent, smirking at Harry as if they had planned this drawn-out torture and it was then that Hermione realized she was toying with everyone, allowing secret desires and fears to surfaces in the minds of her audience. Until, finally, Molly could take it no longer.

"Ginevra! Don't keep us all waiting! Tell us the news!"

"Mother! You know I hate it when you call me that."

"Well then,  _dear_ , please do tell us what it is that is  _so_ important that you had to gather us all together," Molly replied emphasizing certain parts just to annoy Ginny. Hermione, and everyone else for that matter, had to stifle chuckles at how devious Molly could be. It was a rare sight indeed, when the door swung both ways on the sarcasm between mother and daughter.

"Fine," Ginny scoffed, and then smiled as if she could not contain her excitement for one more second, "Harry and I have decided to get married!"

Instantly, the room was overcome with shouts, and the occasional weeping. The joy was heavy on the air and, at last, after the Hell every one of them gone through…life was changing for the better.


	4. Happy Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains content which may be considered triggering for some readers. This chapter features sexual assault and abuse, and violence.

**Chapter Three:  
** " _Happy_ _Birthday"_

_Finally, the waitress reached her and handed the napkin and wine to her, explaining that it was already paid for. Before her parents could see the note, she snatched up the napkin and read:_

> Piazza di San Marco  
> 10:30 pm  
> -C.H.

_She could not help but smile. He wanted to meet her and talk to her..._

_…She saw him smiling at her, and only the thought of learning more about this intriguing_ _creature filled her mind._

_"Hi. I'm Chris Halliwell. I saw you at the restaurant watching me and thought it'd be nice to properly meet you, since you appear to have an interest in me,"  he stretched his hand out to her, willing her to shake it._

_Slowly, she reached her hand to his and shook it, "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to actually meet you."_

_He smiled and appeared to be pondering whether or not to say something, then decided against it and then finally deciding to say it, ventured, "So tell me about yourself…"_

_…He nearly begged her not to go, but she knew she had to. The next morning, she would be leaving for London. As she said her good bye, he stared at her intensely and then brushed a small piece of hair out of her face. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, even wanted him to, but he seemed to have decided not to and merely settle for saying good bye._

_"Good bye, Hermione," and then before he walked off solemnly, "Until we meet again…"_

Over and over, in her dreams, her mind replayed the evening and, even more often, the parting. It was as if her mind pined for the memory of her joy that night. The memory of his scent. The memory of the way his eyes lit up whenever she laughed. It was as if her brain was in love with what could have been, though it registered that it never would be.

It was a sad thought, that they would never meet again. Hermione nearly compared to the feeling one feels when just experiencing a break up of a great relationship, and though it was partially true, it was not the same. Chris Halliwell and Hermione Granger were nothing and would never be anything. Perhaps it was that her brain  _needed_ some sort of masculine figure in her life to give her the feeling of security. After all, she'd had that for so long with Harry and Ron at Hogwarts and now she was on her own. But that shouldn't matter because she'd been alone since she was seventeen and she was now twenty-one. And then she registered that it wasn't entirely true. Her and Ron had begun dating during the Final Battle and had been dating continuously up until recently. Maybe it was true that her brain needed that sense of security.  _Well, then my brain will just have to learn to live without. I'm an independent woman now_ , she thought to herself.

Sighing soberly, and despite that the fact her body protested, she got out of bed and headed towards the shower, after which she dressed for work and brushed her teeth. Finally, when all toiletries were complete, she left for work. When she arrived at work, she immediately went into her office and read the passages from the day before over and over again. But try as she mint, she could not, for the life of her, understand what they meant. She then began paraphrasing line by line, and still she could not make sense of it. It was as if someone had taken random phrases that meant nothing and combined them all together. The thought disheartened her; this was her first real assignment and that there was a chance that it was worthless, meaningless even, nearly sickened her. Her job had become her life and, at the current moment, she did not intend to change that. And so she was determined to find at least  _some_ meaning in the passages, even if it took the rest of her career.

Hours past and still she sat, slouched over her desk with papers upon papers of notes. She'd been working non-stop and now wanted nothing more than to go home and rest. Like a child who'd waken early on Christmas morning, she glanced at the clock and was very relieved to see it was time to go home. And so, she neatly stacked all of her paperwork and, with a flick of her wand, all the papers flew into an awaiting filing cabinet and locked themselves in. Smiling, she gathered the rest of her possessions and left the building. After reaching the designated Apparation point, she Apparated home.

As was the norm, the lights were out and all was silent. And yet, something did not feel right. It felt as if she was not alone and that she was standing in the middle of a quiet room filled with many people. All of her senses were heightened and she was poised for the ambush, should there be one. Suddenly, out of the rigid silence, a whisper sound:

"She knows we're here!"

And as her hand reached for her wand, the room was illuminated and a wave of voices echoed, "Surprise!"

"Happy birthday, Hermione!"

She looked all around her living room and saw all of her friends and family gathered together. She saw her parents, Harry and Ginny, all of the Weasley family, Luna, Neville and even Hagrid, though he was slightly bent over to keep from hitting his head on the ceiling. To her surprise, everyone wielded presents. Laughing off her paranoia, she gave everyone a hug, pausing slightly before hugging Ron. Harry's was brotherly, as was the rest of the Weasley clan. Molly's was caring and loving, even though she reprimanded her for being so thin. Her parents' were the same as always: possessive and nurturing After everyone had been hugged, she opened presents. Presents preceded casual mingling. Up until the mingling, everything had gone well, but it was then that Ron chose to speak.

"Happy birthday, Hermione."

Hermione moved a little uneasily in her seat, "Thank you."

"You know, I miss you, Hermione," he said so that none but she could hear.

She sighed, "Ronald, I'm sorry but I can't…I just can't. I don't want to put myself through that kind of heartbreak again."

"But I wouldn't hurt you."

She tried to laugh, "You've said that before."

"But I mean it this time."

"Yes. And you'll mean it next time, too."

"Why can't you forgive me?"

"I do forgive you, Ronald; I really do, but I just cannot do that. I can't be with you again."

"I don't think you do. You don't forgive me, if you did you'd still want me."

"Oh, Ronald, why do you have to be so complicated?"

"Because I know you still love me."

"Are you so blind to realize that you just contrad—"

But she never finished her sentence, for at that precise moment Ron kissed her. For a brief moment, it was a fervor of passion but then Hermione calmed herself and abruptly pulled away. Ron looked at her with sad eyes and then got up and left. And Hermione forced herself not to think on it anymore.

Moments later, Molly called them all over to the dining table for cake, which they gladly received. And after the cake was consumed, most of the guests left to go home. Harry and Ginny, however, stayed behind to help clean up. As they did so, Harry made his way to Hermione.

Smiling, he put his arm around her and said, "So what's this I hear about a Chris Halliwell?"

Hermione pulled way abruptly and spun to Ginny, who was now attempting to sneak out the main door, "Ginny! You told him?!"

Harry laughed, "Relax! I just want to know…that's all."

Hermione was defeated, "He's just some guy I met in Venice…"

"Do you fancy him?"

She began to say, 'No,' but she wasn't quite sure if that was the truth, but then finally she decided that it was best not to tell Harry that, "No, I do not fancy him."

He seemed a bit put down, but not convinced, "If you say so."

Not long after, Harry and Ginny left. Hermione was relieved. Now, after a long day at work and some hours of party, she could sleep. Waving her wand to put the alarm spells in place, she walked into her bedroom and then into her bathroom to bathe. Once the temperature was right, she undressed and slid into the bath water. She added aromatic soap and bath salts. Hermione sighed, now all she needed were some candles and a good book. The heat of the water relieved her tension from work, her stress over Ron and his refusal to let her go. And in that moment, that simple fraction of time, she felt as if the entire world was at peace. Unfortunately, her peace-filled moment did not last.

Obtrusive sirens were ringing in her ears and  throughout her apartment. Someone had broken through her protective shields and set off her alarm. Jumping up so fast that water splashed on the floor, Hermione reached for her robe. Throwing it on, she cursed at the fact that she would have to fight in nothing but a robe, soaking wet. Sprinting through her room, she grabbed her wand and burst through the door and into the living room. Just as she was about to fire a curse at whoever was trespassing in her house she saw Ron standing alone, with his back to her, in the middle of the living room.  
  
He was standing still, but was swaying heavily. At first Hermione thought he was hurt and she went to go help him, but then she saw the nearly empty bottle of Firewhisky loosely held in his hand; he was drunk. She sighed and attempted to take the bottle from his hand but when she did so, he tightened his grip on it and spun around. She jumped back.  
  
"Her-my-o-nee," he slowly pronounced, and she noticed he glanced at where her robe had fallen open a bit, "Her-my-o-nee. Her-my-o-nee. You're a heartless bitch, you know that?"  
  
Hermione was somewhat shocked, but hid it well, "Ron, go home. You're drunk…you're not thinking clearly."  
  
"NO!  _You're_  the one who's not thinking clearly! I made a mistake! And you've said you've forgiven me! But you still won't take me back!"  
  
Hermione was almost afraid, she'd never seen Ron like this, "Ron…please, calm down. Go home and calm down, and maybe we'll talk about it in the morning."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize you needed to get your  _lie speech_  ready! I'll come back when you have it well-rehearsed!"  
  
To Hermione's immense relief, he made like he was leaving but then at the last moment he furiously spun around and threw the bottle of Firewhisky at her. She ducked just as it would have hit her, causing it to hit the wall behind her instead.  
  
"Ronald! Have you completely gone mental?"  
  
He laughed, as he made his way to her with greedy hands, "No! I've just now gained my sanity!"  
  
At that precise moment, he darted to her with great speed but she was quicker and got out of his range. He looked at her with angry eyes and darted for her again, but this time she was not quick enough to stay away from his reach. He grabbed her shoulders with great strength fueled by anger and pushed her against the wall. He held her there for a few seconds and then laughed crazily and smacked her across the face. She gasped and tried to squirm from in-between the wall and his crushing body.  
  
He just smirked at her and said, "Oh, you wanna play that game, do you? You  _fucking_  tease!"  
  
And his menacing hand crushed her breast, causing her to cry out in pain. He laughed and said, "You like that, don't you?" He did it again, but this time harder, and she screamed this time. She continued to squirm under his grip and he continued to laugh and slam his hands all over her. Each time she screamed and begged him to stop. Would he not stop? As if in answer to her prayers, the front door burst open in a loud explosion. Hermione was relieved to see a figure standing, wand at the ready, in the dust of the doorway. Ron let her go, jumped back and began to Apparate away but as he did, the figure stunned him. The figure came closer and Hermione could tell that it was a man, but nothing more. He came closer and closer still until she could finally see his face. Draco Malfoy, her neighbor, just glared at her and she couldn't help but stifle a gasp.  
  
He snickered to himself, "You and that Weasel prat get into an argument again?"  
  
She couldn't think of anything to say, "Th-Thank you."  
  
"Oh, don't be piteous. I didn't do it for you more so than my ears. To hear a Mudblood scream…," he trailed off and shook his head. He waved his wand, probably summoning Aurors, and left her apartment without another word.  
  
Hermione sat alone in silence for a few seconds and then numerous loud pops announced the arrival of Aurors. Ginny was the first to materialize and she ran to Hermione as soon as she could. She lightly placed her hands on Hermione's cheeks, checking her for major injuries. Then she glanced to where the Aurors were crowding around Ron and sighed.  
  
"Oh Merlin, what has he done to you?"  
  
Hermione tried to smile, but it faltered because she was still shaken up, "It's nothing, Ginny. He was just drunk."  
  
Ginny looked as if she could cry, "But still! To think I have to cart in my brother to the Ministry because he attacked our best friend! My brother! Oh, Ronald  _what have you done_?"  
  
Hermione hugged Ginny and said that it was okay, but she just shook her head and said, "Let's get you to the Burrow. The rest will take care of Ron."  
  
And so Hermione packed her things and Ginny took her to the Burrow. As Hermione crawled into Ginny's old bed and Ginny left for work, Hermione felt pretty bad about herself and cried herself to sleep. Somewhere deep inside her consciousness, though she knew it was not her fault, she blamed herself.


	5. Undetectable

**Chapter Four:**  
" _Undetectable_ "

Sweat drenched his shirt, his heart pounded in his chest. He was in such a rush. The thrill of the chase was exhilarating. He heard his brother laughing somewhere nearby and knew that the feeling was mutual. His feet were flying ferociously through the air and his senses were alert to every detail, every sound and smell. He could hear the feet of their prey and was prepared for the kill. The demon would not get away this time.  
  
Chris spun around a corner and came face to face with the demon. Seconds later, his older brother followed right behind him. They looked at one another for a brief moment and then Wyatt threw the potion to vanquish the demon and right as it hit the ground, the glass bottle shattering and releasing a red liquid-like substance, the demon vanished. Both brothers whistled with delight and high-fived before spinning around to go home. However, when they spun around, there stood the demon who, despite his distorted face, appeared to be smirking quite smugly.  
  
"What the Hell?!"  
  
He wasn't quite sure which brother had said it, but it didn't matter. With the experience of many trials and errors, he flicked his wrists and the demon blew up into a million unrecognizable, molecular pieces. Smirking, he silently thanked his mother for that wonderful and nearly, fail-safe power. Wyatt looked at him and they both just stared at where the demon had stood, almost afraid that he would come back once again. After a few moments, they both agreed that the demon was forever vanquished and walk back through the catacombs and into the light of the outside world. As they walked, Chris thought of Melinda, their younger sister, and how he knew she wished she could have come. But, of course, still younger than eighteen, no matter that she was seventeen, their parents would not allow her to fight demons with her older brothers. Usually, Melina and Piper, their mother, would argue from the moment Chris and Wyatt would leave until, at least, a few days after their return. And usually, Melinda refused to speak to anyone in the family, save for Chris, for the duration of the week that followed. Melina could definitely be stubborn at times.  
  
When they reached the exit of the catacombs, they both exchanged glances and then disappeared into bright, white lights. In seconds, they reappeared in the attic of their family home, a gorgeous Victorian that had been in their family throughout four generations, going back all the way back to their Great-Great-Grandparents.  
  
Wyatt yawned, "I'm starved. What say you, little brother?"  
  
Chris shrugged, walked across the attic and down the stairs leading down to the second floor. As they headed down the steps to the first floor, Chris noticed that Wyatt seemed a little too happy about something. He was smirking and hd an extra stride in his step. Finally, when they reached the bottom, Chris saw that his mother and father were sitting at the dining room table eating a late dinner. Wyatt's smirk grew as they walked through the dining room, heading for the kitchen.  
  
Wyatt asked in a sing-song voice, "Chris?"  
  
He bit his lip, "What?"  
  
"When do you think you'll see, oh...what's-her-name, again?"  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Yeah...her."  
  
"I don't know," he almost growled.  
  
They were almost to the kitchen, just a few more steps and he would be home free.  
  
"Who's Hermione?"  
  
Chris stopped where he was standing and sighed. He looked towards his mother, who was waiting patiently, smiling, for an answer.  
  
Wyatt laughed, "A girl that Chris likes."  
  
Leo, his father, spoke, "Well, who is she? How'd you meet her?"  
  
Chris ground his teeth together, "She's British. I met her when me and Wyatt were in Venice. I bought her a drink."  
  
Wyatt perked up, "Don't forget to mention how you snuck out to St. Mark's Plaza with her and didn't come back until midnight."  
  
Chris sighed. Wyatt had really done it this time.  
  
Piper smiled, "Will I ever get to meet her?"  
  
Chris tried to put her down gently, "I doubt it. I don't even know where she lives, exactly."  
  
The room was silent for a moment and then Wyatt, it seemed, had an idea, "Why don't you scry for her?"  
  
"Absolutely not!"  
  
Wyatt looked at him inquisitively, "Why?"  
  
"That's an invasion of privacy!"  
  
He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and shortly after, Melinda appeared around the corner and into the dining room. She smiled at him and said, "I think you should do it."  
  
"And why on Earth should I do it?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"No."  
  
"Please."  
  
" _Why?_ "  
  
"Because I want to know where my future sister-in-law lives."  
  
Chris was extremely perplexed, "And how do you know  _that_?"  
  
"I just know."  
  
Chris sighed, defeated, "Alright. Fine. I'll scry for her."  
  
Melinda smiled and the sped off in the direction of the attic. Chris rolled his eyes.  _And she wonders why mom and dad won't let her go fight demons. She's so immature!_  he thought to himself as he headed for his bedroom. He heard footsteps behind him and sighed. This was all Wyatt's fault and Chris would make sure that his older brother knew to stop acting like they both were still fifteen. When, finally, he made it to his bedroom, Chris walked to the dresser and opened a drawer; wherein he found a small, cardboard box. He sighed as he picked it up. Opening the box, he realized that Wyatt would bring up that he had kept her bracelet and would, surely, announce this sensitivity to the entire family. When Chris had found the bracelet that night in Venice, he had tried to call her back so that he could return it. But she never heard him and so he pocketed and took it home. For whatever reason, he had felt the need to protect it. He had placed it in a box and put the box in his drawer. Some part of him that one day he would see her again and would have this as an excuse to talk to her again, maybe even take her on a proper date.  
  
"What's taking so long, little brother?"  
  
Chris turned to face his brother, standing in the doorway, with the most smug smile in the world. Chris said nothing but just pushed by him and went up to the attic. As suspected, the entire family stood there waiting for him. He sighed when he saw that they had already gotten out the crystal and a world map. He walked up to it, grabbed the string that was bound around the crystal with the hand that held her bracelet and waved it slowly over the map. As he concentrated, he could hear Wyatt mentioning the bracelet and how it was cute that Chris had kept it this whole time. He heard Melinda tell him to shut up, that Chris needed to stay focused. He heard himself thinking,  _Why is it taking so long? It should have found her by now._  Then suddenly, the crystal swung in circles until it finally flew from his hand and tumbled on the floor.  
  
Chris jumped backwards and stared at the crystal with wonder. This had never happened before. What caused it to do this? Unless it couldn't find her, but that was impossible.


	6. The Premonition

**Chapter Five:  
** " _The Premonition_ "

Moments later found the family entirely perplexed. The only reason they could supply for the crystal reacting the way it did was that it could not find her, which was not possible. If she were dead, hen that would explain it but they were unable to grasp the mere idea of either explanation. The entire family just stared at one another in silence, attempting to make sense of it. Through their heads ran numerous scenarios but each possibility was quickly debunked. With each, the family was forced to return to the thought that she was dead.  
  
Finally, Melinda spoke up, "Maybe one of my whitelighter brothers should try to sense her."  
  
Chris shrugged and mumbled that it was worth a shot. Then, standing completely still, he closed his eyes and concentrated on her face, her very essence. Mentally, he scanned the globe in search of her. His breathing was slow and his mind was alert of every face and every voice. Suddenly, he locked on a familiar voice.  
  
" _I just don't know if I can forgive him..._ "  
  
His breath caught and he focused all his energy on that voice and tried so desperately to find a location. His mind raced across the Earth, but failed to pinpoint the brown-eyed beauty he searched for. She was alive, he knew that much by the sound of her voice, but he could not find her! She was defying all supernatural laws and he knew his family would not think of anything else until they found the reason why.  
  
Finally, he opened his eyes and felt the familiar light-headedness. His family stared at him, anxiously waiting. Maybe he should lie and tell them that she was alive and well. Maybe he should pretend that he lost concentration while he was scrying and that was why it messed up. But he knew that they would suspect him of lying and would cast the truth spell on him and he would be forced to tell them anyway. Closing his eyes, he sighed.  
  
"She's alive, but I couldn't find her."  
  
His mother looked at him with inquisitive worry, "What do you mean?"  
  
"I locked onto her voice, but when I tried to see where she as at...there was nothing."  
  
His mother sighed and looked to his father, silently asking if he knew what was happening. His father just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
After a moment's silence, Melinda said, "Well, I do have  _two_  whitelighter brothers, you know."  
  
Wyatt was nonchalant in saying, "Alright, I'll try to find my ickle brother's little girlfriend for him."  
  
Melinda slapped him on the back of the head and told him to be nice. He just smiled, and then he closed his eyes. Everyone was quiet, waiting for Wyatt to have an answer. Chris pleased,  _Let it be just my powers messing up. Let her be safe. Let her not be a demon._  He did not relish the thought that he might have to kill her. At last, Wyatt opened his eyes.  
  
"I don't know what it is, but something is blocking us from finding her. It's like some type of magical force field."  
  
Their father looked perplexed, "That's odd."  
  
And Chris knew that in all his father's years of being a whitelighter, though he was one no longer, he had never encountered an oddity such as this. He looked to his mother, who looked on the verge of pacing, and knew that in all her years of being a witch, she'd never seen something like this happen. And he felt guilty. If he had never bought that damn glass of wine, the family would not be sitting here wondering if they had another demon on their hands.  
  
Finally, he asked, "How is that possible?"  
  
Melinda shrugged, "Maybe she's a demon. Maybe she's in the Underworld."  
  
Chris glared at her, "I thought you said that she was going to be your sister-in-law one day? And besides, whitelighters can't sense anything in the Underworld. And we could sense her."  
  
"Yes, but you couldn't tell where she was at."  
  
"But if she was in the Underworld, we wouldn't have been able to sense her at all!"  
  
"Stop it, the both of you," Piper shouted at her youngest children, before she asked her husband, "Can whitelighters sense demons?"  
  
He replied, "I think so."  
  
Chris was nearly on his last nerve, "She's not a demon! And even if she was, scrying would have been able to find her!"  
  
"Why didn't it, then?" Wyatt counter-argued.  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
Piper, once again, interrupted an argument between her children, "Maybe we should call Phoebe and see if she can get anything off the bracelet?"  
  
"I think that's probably the best," Leo agreed.  
  
Chris did not want anymore family involved in this, "Mom! No! Don't worry about it! It's just some weird coincidence!"  
  
Piper reached for her cell-phone, saying, "Almost every weird coincidence is magical and everything magical is important to us! She could be a warlock trying to steal your powers!"  
  
Chris groaned, it was over. The battle had been won, his mother had put her foot down and there was no use arguing anymore. Right now, she was on the phone with his aunt, asking if she could by and help with a  _family emergency_ , as they called it when one of the sisters needed to leave work to help fight some evil force of the supernatural. A short time later, Chris watched both his Aunt Phoebe and his Aunt Paige appear in by white lights. He groaned again, this was not so important that his entire family had to orb in!  
  
Mumbling under his breathe, he sighed, "They're treating me like a teenager."  
  
Melinda leaned in beside him and whispered, so only he could hear, "Welcome to my world."  
  
Phoebe approached the bracelet, now on the floor, and grabbed it. Immediately, her eyes closed and she was locked in premonition.  
  
 _She saw a curly-brunette standing over a broken, glass pitcher. Smiling, she wave a wooden stick and the pieces of the pitcher went back together and the pitcher reset itself on the table from which it had been knocked._  
  
Seconds later, she opened her eyes and gasped, "Well that was interesting."  
  
The entire family asked in unison, "What?!"  
  
"I don't know if she is a demon, but she is definitely magical."


	7. Forgiveness

**Chapter Six:**  
" _Forgiveness_ "

Hermione rolled over in her sleep. Her body ached and for a brief moment, she forgot where she was and why. Then, with waves of treachery, realization hit her. She was at the Burrow because of Ron. Because Ron got mad at her, went out and got drunk, came to her apartment, lost his control and assaulted her. Tears poured down her cheeks and she touched her tender breasts, covered in bruises. Her back was in pain, no doubt covered in bruises as well. All over, her flesh was screaming at her, infuriated at the abuse it had endured.  
  
Finally, she willed herself the strength to get up and, still in the pajamas she'd borrowed from Ginny the night before, went down the stairs and into the kitchen. Molly sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea, when she entered.  
  
Upon her entrance, Molly jumped and said, "Oh, Hermione, dear, you scared me."  
  
"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley; I couldn't sleep," Hermione apologized, noticing that the sun had yet to rise.  
  
"Dear, how many times must I ask you to call me Molly?" the elder woman smiled.  
  
Hermione attempted to smile back. As Hermione sat down, Molly got up from the table and grabbed another cup and poured Hermione some tea. She offered her some honey, which Hermione refused, and then sat back down. In silence, the two women drank their tea. After some moments had passed, Molly broke the silence.  
  
"I am sorry for Ronald's behaviour last night, I should have raised him better," she said, and in response to Hermione's questioning gaze, "Ginny woke me and told me."  
  
Hermione sighed, "I don't blame you Mrs. Weas—" she caught herself, "Molly...There is nothing that you could have done to prevent this."  
  
Molly still looked troubled, "Yes, but...my son did this. To  _you_  of all people! The blame has to go somewhere and I consider it selfish to place the blame on Ronald; I raised him!"  
  
"Molly, I don't even blame Ron. We had a hard breakup and he is having difficultly adjusting. He was drunk, I know it will not happen again."  
  
Molly just simply smiled and said, "He loves you greatly and I know why: You have a wonderful heart."  
  
"I know, but I just don't know if I can forgive him...what he did was just more than I could take."  
  
Molly sighed, "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."  
  
Hermione could not help but think of Chris, for if she and Ron had still been dating when she went to Venice, she would have never gone out with Chris and she wondered if it would have made as much of a difference in her, "Maybe."  
  
Molly looked out the window and saw that the sun had begun to rise, she rose up from her chair and smiled, "Time to start breakfast!"  
  
Hermione got out of her chair, despite her limbs reprimanding her for it, "Would you like me to help?"  
  
Molly turned her down, saying that she needed her rest. Hermione, somewhat discouraged and somewhat grateful, sat back down as Molly began cooking. Hermione smiled that she cooked the muggle way; you put more love into the food that way. It reminded her of something Molly had often said when she was a teenager, " _Just because you can use magic for everything, doesn't mean you_  should." Hermione watched as Molly put bacon into a pan, followed by eggs, allowing the bacon grease to cook the eggs all the way through. She made toast and got out orange juice, more tea, coffee and milk. Hermione smiled, remembering all the summers she had spent at the Burrow and all the wondrous meals she had ate. They made small-talk for the duration of the preparation and, to Hermione's great surprise, Molly even allowed her to set the table. Hermione counted the plates that Molly had gotten out and noticed that it seemed every family member would be present. When Hermione questioned this, Molly simply said, "Consider this your birthday breakfast."  
  
Not long after the table had been set, Arthur came down the stairs and folded Hermione in a loving hug. For a moment before he looked at her sorrowfully but then he smiled. Mere seconds had passed before family members arrived via floo and Apparation. Hermione was hugged by each one and part of her was not pleased by the hugs. Part of her felt that they were only hugging her because of what Ron did. Finally, everyone sat down to eat and Hermione noticed that someone was missing. She looked around and realized that Ginny was still at work.  
  
And so they ate in silence. The food was memorably delicious. There were mumbles of appreciation throughout the assembly of guests. Then, in the middle of their breakfast, Ginny Apparated into the kitchen and looked at Hermione solemnly. She motioned for Hermione to follow her up the stairs and into her bedroom. Once in, she turned around to face Hermione.  
  
"I need to know if you want to press charges against Ron."  
  
Hermione stared at her for a moment before it fully registered in her mind what she meant and then she answered, "No."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I need it in writing."  
  
Hermione sighed and glanced around for some spare parchment and a quill. Finally, when she found them she wrote:

> _I, the undersigned, Hermione Jean Granger, do not wish Ronald Bilius Weasley accountable for the actions he committed against the previous night to this._

And then she signed her name and dated the parchment. She watched Ginny sign her name under hers, stating that she had witnessed the writing of the document. She quickly hugged Hermione before they both headed back down to the kitchen. Hermione resumed her place at the table and Ginny gave her love to the family, saying that she would be back momentarily with Ron. The family continued eating until a loud pop signaled the promised arrival. There Ron stood, unshaven and dirty. She sighed at how the tension immediately formed when he materialized. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but was too afraid to speak. Then, it seemed, he gathered the courage.  
  
"Hermione, I'm so sorry."  
  
She tried to smile, "It's alright, Ron," and then she tried to relieve the tension by making a joke, "So long as you don't do it again...I'll have to hex you."  
  
He chuckled a bit and then both him and Ginny sat down to breakfast. The entire family returned to their eating. Despite the forgiveness she had just given, however, Hermione could not help but feel that the air to the room was tangible. Sighing, she took a bite of her bacon. Things were certainly spiraling out of control.


	8. Getaway

**Chapter Seven**  
" _Getaway_ "

It was a lovely day in Diagon Alley and as Hemrione sat with Luna waiting for Ginny to show them the dress she had picked out, Hermione couldn't help but feel a tad carefree. The three friends were having a girls-day-out while picking out things for Harry and Ginny's wedding. It was quite exciting to be out with friends, with no worries and carefully choosing items for what would be the happiest day of her best friends' life. Sighing calmly, she looked to Luna, who was now swaying in her seat and swinging her legs back and forth. Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Then, the curtain hiding Ginny opened to reveal the dress she had picked. Hermione was shocked, for the dress was white silk, low-cut and held a slit that went to the middle of her thigh.  
  
She laughed, spinning around narcissistically, "What do you think? Isn't it just to die for?"  
  
Luna smiled dreamily, whereas Hermione laughed hysterically, "I think that Harry would have a heart attack."  
  
Ginny wrinkled her nose and laughed, "Yeah, you're probably right."  
  
And so she returned to the dressing room and changed back into her clothes. When she was ready, they left the shop and decided to go to the nearby ice-cream parlour. They sat down and ordered their ice-cream and when the ice-cream came, relished in the flavour. Hermione enjoyed her vanilla ice-cream in all its plainness. She enjoyed its simplicity and the basic taste it held.  
  
"So Hermione, how are things with Chris?"  
  
Hermione looked up to see Ginny smiling smugly, "Well, things with Chris are nonexistent."  
  
Luna perked up, "Who is this Chris?"  
  
Hermione explained, "He's someone I met in Venice. He bought me a drink and we talked for a while in St. Mark's Plaza. It's nothing," and then she sighed.  
  
Ginny looked at her, worry almost etched into her eyes, "What is it?"  
  
"It's just that... I know I'll never see him again, but I cannot get him out of mind."  
  
Ginny smiled, "Well then maybe you should take vacation from everything. Just pack up and go on a trip with me and Luna; we were thinking about going to America soon, anyway."  
  
"That's probably not a good idea."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I can't. I just got this really great opportunity at work and—"  
  
"So. Take some time off of work."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I would never be able to get the time off."  
  
Ginny smiled wide, "Well, you never know until you try. Why don't we all try to get off of work two weeks from now and go to America for a week. And if one of us can't, we'll try for another time."  
  
Luna was very enthusiastic, "That sounds wonderful!"  
  
Hermione groaned and rejected once more, but was finally persuaded to give in, "Alright, but I'm bringing what I'm working on with me."  
  
Ginny laughed, "That's what you think."  
  
The following morning, at work, Hermione forced herself to go to the Head Unspeakable's office and request a week long vacation.  
  
"I am coming because of the idiotic idea my friends had of me asking for a week long vacation two weeks from now. My friends have requested I go with them to America. I will fully respect your decision should you say no. In fact, I expect no other response."  
  
Her boss stared at her for a moment and she was almost certain that she would be reprimanded when, "A week? Why not take a whole month? Beginning now. Unspeakable Granger, you have been married to your work ever since you and that boyfriend of your's broke up. It's about time you had a vacation. Now go on, go home."  
  
Hermione was stunned. A whole month? What in the bloody Hell was she supposed to do for an entire month? She got home and was stomping. She'd barely wanted a week and she got an entire month! She didn't care what she'd been told, she would work on figuring out what those passages meant the whole month and when she returned to work she would reveal her results to the Head Unspeakable. Hermione Granger not work for a month, it was preposterous! Sighing to herself, she grabbed some parchment and a quill and wrote to Ginny and Luna inviting them over that night; they might as well begin planning their trip.  
  
Hermione had brought out some chips and candy for her friends, when Ginny and Luna arrived. She led them into the dining area, where they found heaven in the junk-food. They all sat down and began discussing where they should go and what they should see. Ginny and Luna both wanted to go to San Francisco; Ginny wanted to go so that she could go to a local club that one of her friends had told her about and Luna just simply wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge. They both insisted that Hermione pick a place. She knew of a place that her cousin in New Orleans told her about. It was a beautiful southern, antebellum plantation and she'd even been sent pictures of her cousin during her stay there.  
  
"Well, if I had to choose a place to go...it would probably be Oak Alley Plantation."  
  
Ginny curiously looked at her, "Oak Alley Plantation? Where is that at?"  
  
"It's somewhere near New Orleans, my cousin there told me about it."  
  
Luna smiled and Ginny seemed to enjoy the thought of visiting a southern plantation, "Alriht. We'll go to this plantation of yours."  
  
Hermione beamed, "I'll call my cousin tomorrow to see if she can make the arrangements for us to stay a night there; she has friends that work there. How about we stop at her house first, that way she can help us get necessities ready?"  
  
"Call? Necessities?"  
  
"Muggle form of communication," Hermione said, before adding, "Necessities like a car to get there and some money for food and such."  
  
With the plans made, Ginny and Luna left for home. Hermione glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting late. She went into the bedroom, bathed and then did her toiletries. Then, she climbed into her bed, cuddled close to herself under the blanket and went to sleep. Chris Halliwell plaguing her dreams the whole night.


	9. Mint Juleps

**Chapter Eight:**  
" _Mint Juleps_ "

Two weeks later, under the cover of night, the girls walked in silence to Hermione's cousin's house in New Orleans. They had Apparated together out of Hermione's apartment and now they were walking the streets. It was about 4:30 in the morning and they had quite a few more blocks to go. Finally, they reached their destination and there stood Hermione's cousin. It was immediately apparent to Ginny and Luna that had they not known she was Hermione's cousin, they would have never realized that the two were even related. She had olive-skin and deep, green eyes. Her hair was a violet-black and held back tightly in a bun, with some strands of hair falling romantically around her face. She was wearing a red tank-top with black sweat-pants. She wore flip-flop slippers and was holding a black cat.  
  
Upon their arrival, Hermione ran up to her cousin and embraced her. The two smiled and her cousin said in a thick southern accent, "Hermione, sweetheart, would you please hold Aphrodite for me. I think I should properly introduce myself to your friends."  
  
Hermione willingly took the cat from her cousin's arms and cradled her in her arms, rubbing her under the neck and chuckling a bit when the cat purred. Her cousin walked up to Ginny and Luna and shook each of their hands.  
  
She smiled a perfectly white smile at them, "Ginny, Luna, it is so nice to meet you. I'm Hermione's cousin, Lorelai."  
  
They then went into the house and sat in the living room, where Lorelai offered them some breakfast, "Anyone want some Gumbo?"  
  
Hermione laughed, "Gumbo? For breakfast?"  
  
Loralai laughed, "Sure! Why not?"  
  
Hermione smiled, "I wouldn't want to trouble you with making Gumbo this early in the morning."  
  
"Oh, it's no trouble at all... I have some leftovers from last night."  
  
Hermione glanced at the clock and saw that it was now 5:15. If the left at eight, as they had planned, they would have two hours and forty-five minutes for visiting, which included plenty of time to eat.  
  
"I'd like some, if that's alright," Hermione said, "But I don't know if Ginny and Luna will like it, they've never had it before."  
  
Ginny spoke up, "It's worth a shot, I'm up for trying something new. What about you, Luna?"  
  
"It sounds dreamy."  
  
And so, Lorelai went into the kitchen and gathered some Gumbo in some bowls. Hermione led them into the dining room, where a fire was burning in the fireplace. Lorelai placed the bowls and spoons on the table and then returned to the kitchen. When she came back, she was, somehow, carrying four glasses of tea.  
  
"Y'all just haven't lived 'til you have some of my southern tea."  
  
Hermione smiled, "Yes, you're tea is absolutely delicious, but don't forget to warn them how sweet it is."  
  
"It's not that sweet... Oh, well I suppose if you're not use to it, then it is."  
  
They all laughed and ate their breakfast and drank their tea. Then they all returned to the living room and watched the television, much to the great amusement of Ginny and Luna. As an added treat, one of the television channels was playing a show where people who hunted ghost went to Oak Alley Plantation, which they would leave for in one hour. After the show went off, Lorelai gave them the needed money and keys to a spare car and wished them good trip, saying that she'd see them in the morning. And so they set off on the one hour trip to the plantation. Luna and Ginny seemed intrigued by the mechanics of a car and Hermione couldn't help but find it quite comical. They were very amused by everything that each button could do, every knob and even the simplistic glove-compartment.  
  
Finally, they arrived at Oak Alley Plantation. The gorgeous, antebellum plantation sat behind a row of twenty-eight three hundred year old oak trees. They checked into the bed and breakfast, set all their things into their rented cottage and then agreed to take a tour of the mansion. It was quite fascinating. Every room was like a work of art, every fact a riveting novel. Hermione yearned to live in a home such as this, to relish in its beauty each morning. But, alas, all good things must come to an end and their tour was over. They then went to the plantation's restaurant and ate a magnificent lunch. At the restaurant, they were able to order a pitcher of Mint Juleps to be sent to their cottage.  
  
When they returned to the cottage, sitting on the living room table was the ordered pitcher. Hermione smiled and poured each of them a glass, which they all gladly received. After the cups had been downed, Ginny's face lit up with an idea.  
  
"Let's make this more interesting. We should add some Veritaserum to the pitcher, place a spell so that it refills itself and play a game of shots."  
  
Hermione and Luna agreed and they began the game. Luna was then first one to loose the game of shots, chose truth, and was forced to reveal something that she had never told anyone before.  
  
"In third year, I secretly fancied Malfoy."  
  
Hermione was shocked and laughed. Ginny exclaimed, "It's always the quiet ones!"  
  
Hermione was the next to lose and she chose truth as well, "In fourth year, Viktor and I were  _intimate_  once."  
  
Ginny asked, "So Viktor Krum, internationally renowned Quidditch player, was your  _first_?!"  
  
Hermione nodded and Ginny laughed, "Blimey! Why is it always the quiet ones?"  
  
All the girls laughed and played again. Ginny lost next and chose truth. Hermione asked, "Why is everyone picking truth?"  
  
Ginny and Luna shrugged, then Ginny revealed, "I might be pregnant, and Harry doesn't know yet."  
  
Luna swayed and sighed dreamily, "That's lovely."  
  
Hermione laughed, "Then you probably shouldn't be drinking."  
  
Ginny looked at the glass in her hands and said, before downing half of its contents, "Probably not."  
  
All the girls fell back laughing and continued playing into the late hours of the night.


	10. The Broken Pitcher

**Chapter Nine:**  
" _The Broken Pitcher_ "

Hermione woke the next morning with the most outrageous headache that anyone could have ever thought imaginable. It was an excruciating and blinding pain, which, combined with a deep, unsettling nausea, made her feel as if she would never move again. How many shots of Mint Juleps had been ingested? Were Ginny and Luna still asleep, or were they lying in bed cursing themselves as well? Hermione attempted to move, but her head and stomach protested. She was in a losing battle against her own body and by the yelling and screaming her head was doing, she would agree to never drink again. But she knew that was a lie; she was not a drunk but every once and a while a nice glass of wine went heavenly with dinner, a healthy shot of liquor went quite pleasantly with a bad mood. And so Hermione compromised with her body instead; she would not drink so much as to become intoxicated unless the circumstances called for it.

At long last, she finally was able to muster the ability to get off of the couch, which had served as her bed the night before, and walked the long distance across the room and into the small dining room to go into her purse and grab the much needed welcomed Anti-Hangover Potion. She quickly downed the potion and when she was free of nausea and the headache, she looked around at her surroundings. Both of the bedroom doors to the cottage they were staying in were shut, so she inferred that Luna and Ginny were both fast asleep. Taking advantage of the situation, she returned to her purse and sought the papers that the passages had been inscribed on. For an hour, she studied them closely and even once almost came close to finally understanding it but when she went to write down her realization, she realized that it made so sense whatsoever. Then, she heard movement from one of the bedrooms and became conscious of the fact that should Ginny walk in and see her working, she would give her Hell and take the papers from her for the rest of the trip. Heart nearly racing, Hermione quickly stuff the papers back into her purse and sat down on the couch just as Luna's bedroom door opened.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" she asked with her usual dreaminess when she saw Hermione awake. "You didn't pack some Anti-Hangover Potion, by chance?"

Hermione was amazed at the way she held herself together, especially if her hangover was as bad as Hermione's. Nonetheless, she went to her purse and got out the vial for Luna, who seemed to be greatly appreciative. They then sat together on the couch in silence, waiting for Ginny to wake so that they may pack up and leave. Hermione looked to the coffee-table and saw that the pitcher of Mint Juleps from the night before was still resting upon it. She briefly considered taking it outside and dumping it out, but then she recalled that, due to a spell they had cast on the pitcher, it would just simply refill itself and she would be back to where she started.

Quiet mumbling from the next room, signaled that Ginny was awake and not too happy about her hangover. She came out of the room saying, "Bloody Hell, I'll never drink again!"

Hermione just simply smiled and got up from her place on the couch, which Ginny quickly stole, and returned to the living room with Ginny's vial. Ginny downed the potion much like she had down the Mint Juleps from the night before, but this time she made a face as soon as the potion hit her lips. Hermione chuckled, she had never said it was the best tasting potion, but then again…most potions weren't. All hangover free, they began to pack up their belongings, which consisted of numerous tiny items and when they had managed to track down every single item and place them in their pockets, Luna ran into the coffee-table. Both Hermione and Ginny laughed, and Luna looked up at them nearly blushing. She knew it was probably wrong of her to think such thoughts, but Hermione believed it was nice to see Luna lose her dreamy composure, if even for a brief second.

Hermione walked up to where the broken glass and alcohol had spilled onto the floor and smiling, she waved her wand and the pieces of the pitcher went back together and the pitcher reset itself on the table from which it had been knocked. Due to the fact that it had been broke, the spell they had used to make it refill continuously had now become void. With the pitcher fixed, all of the girls headed out to the car and drove the hour-long drive back to Lorelai's house. When they finally returned to the house, Lorelai had prepared some shrimp-cocktails from them all and they sat down in her dining room to eat. It was a magnificent lunch, but Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were on a tight schedule and had to leave as soon as it was finished. They're next stop would be San Francisco, California.


	11. Abduction

**Chapter Ten:**  
" _Abduction_ "

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna Apparated into a desolate alley-way in San Francisco. They walked a few blocks until they found the hotel that they had made their reservations for the night. They each were to have their own room and their own bed to sleep in, so that no one would be sleeping on the couch again. ( _Thank Merlin!_ ) They checked in and with great  _luck_ they were presented with the keys to three conjoining rooms. They each went into their rooms, dropped off their items and returned to the hallway. Hermione then gave her friends some money for the mall. That night, they were going to go to the local club that Ginny wanted to go o and were going to purchase new clothes to go in. Early in the evening, after shopping and before the local club, they were going to go to a restaurant that Lorelai had told Hermione about. Supposedly, it was owned by the mother of the brothers who owned the local club, which would provide for an interesting and memorable experience.

In a rented car on the way to the mall, all was silent. When they made it to the mall, they all went their separate ways. The first store that Hermione went into did not exactly fit her taste and so she left and went to another. The next one had many dresses of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Near the back of the store, looking at an impossibly horrid dress, was Luna. Hermione just smiled, shook her head and went to another corner of the store. Immediately, Hermione saw three dresses that she could see herself wearing. One was a simple black and white, plaid dress; one was a black dress with a simple silver rose embroidered at the bottom; the final was a simple red dress with thin straps. She grabbed all three and went to the dressing rom. She tried on the first, but id not like the way it fit her. With the next, the cut over her bosom made her feel a little trashy. With the last, as soon as she slid the fabric on, she knew that it was the one that she would wear. The decision made, she gathered up the dress and paid for it. She then went into a shoe store, where she saw Ginny looking at a pair of silver, strapped high-heeled shoes. Looking at all the shoes she could chose from, Hermione saw a pair that would just match perfectly. They were red high-heels and had a small rose on the toe of each shoe. Wihtout even thinking much about it, she grabbed the shoes and paid for them.

Not long after, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna all met in the spot where they had agreed. They drove back to the hotel, dropped their dresses off in their hotel rooms and then left for the restaurant. When they arrived at the restaurant, Ginny spoke, " _Charming Delicacies_? What an interesting name for a restaurant." _  
_

Luna, of course, thought it was perfect, "Actually, I think it's quite fitting."

Hermione just smiled, and they all entered the restaurant and were seated. The waiter came up to them and asked what they would like to drink and if he could get them any appetizers.

Ginny wanted a glass of wine but Hermione reprimanded her, so she settled for a soda. Hermione wanted sweet tea and Luna wanted a glass of lemonade with a lime. They all decided they did not want any appetizers. Later, when they were ready to order their meal, Hermione ordered the Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo; Ginny ordered the Lasagna; Luna ordered the Shrimp Alfredo with Mushrooms. Upon Luna's order, Hermione and Ginny just looked at each other and smiled.

 Finally, when their food was placed in front of them, the three friends devoured the food instantly. When all the food was gone, they were offered dessert. Hermione wanted a Small Brownie Ice-Cream Sundae. Ginny wanted two pieces of Chocolate Cake, which only added to their suspicion of  her being pregnant. Luna asked for an Orange Covered Vanilla Sundae. After the dessert was gone, they paid the bill, left the tip and returned to the hotel to get ready for the club. Hermione put on the dress and shoes. She did her make-up lightly and put only a little bi of her hair up. Finally, Ginny opened her door and revealed her simple, little-black-dress, silver heels and jewelry. She did a little spin when she opened the door and was smirking greatly. She looked Hermione over once and nodded in approval. Luna opened her door next. She was wearing a dress of an unknown colour; it was almost like a gold-ish orange. She wore gold shoes and her "radish" earrings.

She smiled, opened her arms wide and asked, "Isn't it lovely? Don't you just love it?"

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other and said, "Oh! Yeah! It's wonderful!"

Leaving once again, they got into a taxi and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, Luna smiling the whole way. They arrived at the club named "P3" and could hear the live music playing through the door. At the door, the bouncer carded them and then they were allowed entrance. They went to the dance floor and began dancing to the upbeat song. According to Ginny, there were at least four gorgeous males checking them out. Hermione laughed.

Luna answered with her usual dreamy sigh, "That's lovely."

Just then, one of the men came up to Luna and asked if he could buy her a drink. She smiled and said, "I'd love to." And he stole her away.

Ginny laughed, "Looks like it's just you and me, Hermione."

Hermione smiled back, "Do you think we'll see her again tonight."

Ginny looked to where Luna and the man were now dancing, "Well, judging by the looks of this one… I won't be surprised if we don't see her for another week."

Hermione sighed, "Quite interesting how he chose her over one of us. Normally men find her strange."

"She is a little strange, but that's what makes it so wonderful to be her friend. It makes her unique and keeps things interesting. And who knows? Maybe he likes the dreamy type."

Hermione smiled, "Maybe. It's about time someone took interest in her."

And they continued dancing for a while. Two men came up to them and whisked Hermione and Ginny throughout the dance floor. Hermione laughed and smiled. Then when the dance was over, Hermione and Ginny were reunited at a table. Moments later, Luna returned with an indifferent look on her face.

Hermione, worried, asked, "What's wrong? Is he not what you thought?"

Luna sighed, "Oh, he was wonderful. Completely sweet and fun. That is, until his wife showed up."

Ginny nearly shouted, "His  _what_?!"

"His wife."

Hermione placed her hand on Luna's shoulder, "Oh, hun, that's terrible."

Ginny was turning quite protective, "Where is he? I'll kick his arse, if you want me to?"

Luna smiled, "No, actually, I think his wife took care of that for me."

They all laughed. And it was then that Hermione saw him. He was standing by the bar smiling, just looking around the club. There were people bustling all around him, asking him questions and apparently congratulating him. Someone said something to him and made him laugh; Hermione nearly lost all ability to breathe. The creature standing across the club before her was an angel of magnificence, a person of the most impossibly achievable beauty and yet there he was exhibiting perfect poise and comfort. Just the mere sight of the angel before her made her heart leap and her breath quicken. Not fully aware of what she was doing, Hermione excused herself to the bathroom and made in the direction for he very man who had haunted her dreams for weeks. Chris caught sight of Hermione making her way to him and his smile faded. Hermione looked at him quizzically, but he merely spun around and left. She was confused. Had they not had a good time in Venice? Why did he appear to be so mad? Completely disheartened, she approached the bar and order a shot of liquor.

"One shot of Fire—" she had to catch herself before she said Firewhiskey. "A shot of vodka, please."

"Straight? Or mixed?"

She smiled, "Straight."

Hermione intended to entirely forget about Chris Halliwell and the night they spent together in Venice. When the glass of vodka came, she downed it instantly and ordered another. And so the process repeated: drinking one and ordering another. It reminded her very much of work, for it kept her busy and her mind off of what she so desperately avoided. Slowly, she allowed herself to become intoxicated and all her troubles slipped away. Almost as if the forces of fate were in her favour, a very attractive man appeared beside her and asked if the seat beside her was taken. She said no and downed her next shot.

"You don't seem to be in much of a good mood," the man observed.

She tried to smile, "Oh, it's nothing."

"Guy trouble?"

She just nodded and he proceeded, "Aww…did your boyfriend leave you for a girl not nearly as pretty as you?"

"Well…in a way…but this was months ago."

"Really? What happened?"

"I came home to my apartment—our apartment at the time—and saw him snogging his ex-girlfriend on the couch!"

"Well, that's just awful," the man smiled and lightly caressed her cheek, "How could he ever want anyone other than you?"

All of Hermione's logic was telling her she should leave, that she should not be talking to this man and allowing him to touch her as if they were lovers, but another side of her wanted to leap onto the change of no commitment for one night.

"Yes," she smiled, "well, maybe he's blind?"

"He'd have to be?"

For a moment, he looked like he was trying to make a very serious decision and then he said, "Come on, I want to show you something."

He lead her to the back room, which was scattered with posters. He half-smiled and drew her closer. They just stared at one another and all time became endless, and then he kissed her. It was light and nearly apologetic and, though it confused her, she allowed the kiss to consume her. He trailed kisses down to her neck, and then something wasn't right.

She felt like she was light, as if she didn't weigh anything, and spinning. She tried to pull away, for the entire thing was making her nauseous, but the man just held her tighter. She glanced around to find the door, but was frightened even more to realize that it appeared they were not in the room anymore. All around them were bright, little white orbs. Finally, the sensation ended and she was being lowered into what appeared to be a chair. She opened her eyes and saw that she was no longer in the back room of a club, but in what appeared to be a basement. She looked up to where the man should have been standing, however he was no longer there! In front of her stood Chris Halliwell. Hermione raised her eyebrow to him but he merely reached into his pocket and pulled out a little glass vial. He waved it in froth of her almost mockingly and then threw it at the concrete ground near her feet. It shatter and she instantly felt as if all the power was being sucked clean out of her. She started to say something but he merely put his hand over her mouth, saying, "Shhsh."

Out of nowhere, he grabbed ropes and bound her to the chair. He checked to see if they were good and tight and when he seemed satisfied, he left her alone in the dark basement; if it was indeed a basement. Realization of her situation hit her and she was overwhelmed with a wave of nausea. All that she saw around her went hazy. Panic set in and she found herself losing a grip on reality and slipping into the world of her subconsciousness. For moments, she struggled but then, unable to stop herself, vomited on the floor an the chair collapsed sideways.


	12. Chris Reprimanded

**Chapter Eleven:**  
" _Chris Reprimanded_ "

It was closing time at P3 and Wyatt was anxious to get home. He pick up a half-filled glass of wine off the bar, not noticing two women—one redhead and a blonde—walk into the club's bathroom. He poured out the wine and placed the cup on his tray to take back to the kitchen. Walking towards the kitchen, he noticed the two women walking out of the bathroom.

Wyatt spoke up, "Ladies! We're closing up, you need to head out."

The red-haired woman replied, "We know…we were just trying to find our friend. She went to the bathroom ages ago and never came back."

His mind filled with numerous theories, most of which consisting of a demonic reason, "Do you think she's gone missing, or she was kidnapped?"

The blonde spoke this time, shaking her head, "Oh, no," and then she looked to her friend, "Maybe she left with someone? She could have forgotten to let us know."

Her friend seemed to agree and, thanking him for his help, they left. Wyatt shook his head and proceeded to take the tray to the kitchen.  _Where is Chris?_  he wondered to himself,  _He's supposed to help with the club!_ Frustrated, he finished up his duties and, after looking around to make sure no one else could see, orbed into the Manor's kitchen. Appearing in the usual white lights, he wished he had not.

"You're the one who said she could be a warlock!"

Wyatt looked on to see his mother and brother locked in argument over something Chris had done.

His mother looked absolutely furious, "Yes, but does that give you the authority to hoist her from the club and lock her in the basement?!"

Now Wyatt understood. Chris had apparently captured his possible-demon-girlfriend and was now holding her captive in the basement. He just could not help but cut in, "Wait! So she's here?"

He laughed as the two turned to face him, only now becoming aware of his presence.

"Yes! He kidnapped her," his mother replied, and then she returned her fury to Chris, "Are you crazy? Have you completely lost your mind? You could have just exposed us _all_!"

"But I was under glamor. And Aunt Phoebe says she's magical, too!"

"But you brought her  _here_. To the Manor, to  _our_ house! Now she knows where we live and she can bring more of her little warlock friends to attack us! If you just brought evil to us…" and the she made an inaudible exasperated sound, "Do you not remember who we came from? Melinda Warren? Remember her? Remember how she was burned at the stake for being a witch? Remember her sacrifice? This entire family is made of witches and blessed because of that sacrifice…and you could have doomed us all."

Chris looked as if he'd been about to say something in his defense but whatever it had been was lost, for at that moment a loud crash was heard from below them. Leo came running into the room from the dining room wanting to know what happened. Without answering, Piper ran straight for the basement door, opening it and flew down the steps. At the bottom, she saw Hermione, still tied up, laying in the chair on the concrete. She gasped and his her son, who had just come down, and ran to the girl. Untying her, she quickly checked her vitals. All seeming well, Leo came and picked her up, he then carried her to the living room and placed her gently on the couch. Piper noticed the vomit on the floor, looked to the youngest son and said quite smugly that he would be the one to clean it up.

Piper, Wyatt, and Chris all headed into the living room to see how Hermione was doing. Disappointed, they watched her lay there, quietly breathing and making no movement at all. Melina came running down the stairs and wanted to know why she'd heard so much noise.

"Go back to bed, it's a school night," Piper told her.

Melina grumbled, "I never get to do anything," and then she did as she was told.

For some time they watched her in silence, until she finally started to stir. Piper looked at her son in worry, terrified that the slumbering girl would know and would tell. Hermione's eyes flew open, wandered around her surroundings and then landed on Chris. Anger formed on her face and she pointed at him, shouting, "You!"


	13. What are Death Eaters?

**Chapter Twelve:  
** " _What are Death Eaters?_ "

Hermione's heart raced and she, though her body and all it's aches protested, launched herself at him. It was in her heart's desire to tear him limb from limb or, at the very least, make  _his_ entire body ache. The nerve of that man, the fact that he had the audacity to kidnap her,  _her!_ , Hermione Jean Granger, infuriated her. She, who had helped Harry fight the most evil man there had ever been, had been kidnapped by someone she had thought she could trust. And even as his brother closed his arms around her in attempt to stop her from attacking, she wondered: what if he was a Death Eater, someone who intended to start anew and once again commit mass genocide against muggle-borns. Fueled by this, she was able to break free of the grip his brother held her in and launched at Chris once more.

Punching him furiously in the chest, she turned as a young girl came flying down the steps saying, "What is happening. I want to know!"

The girl looked at Hermione and then to the rest of her family, shook her head and said, "I'm going back to bed."

When she was gone, Hermione proceed to pound her fist into his chest. She doubted she was hurting him, but didn't care. She didn't care if he meant to harm her or not, if he was a Death Eater or not. Either way, she was already hurt. She'd fancied him and he'd been a horrible person the whole time through. She felt like a child being told that Christmas wouldn't come anymore, a young teenager going through her first heartbreak and instantly she was reminded of Ron. She felt like she was back in her apartment seeing Ron and Lavender snogging. She felt like she'd been let down. Still pounding, she cried and yelled inexplicably. She did everything she could to make the pain go away.

Finally, she stopped and simply said, "I trusted you…I guess that's what I get for trusting a complete stranger."

All eyes were on her and she didn't like it. She had to get out of there, she had to find Ginny and Luna and leave, leave the country and go to her apartment or Hogwarts or anywhere…anywhere he wouldn't find her. She had to put this all behind her and just forget he ever existed. When they left, she would go back to work and life would return to the way it was before she'd ever met him. She sighed, allowing the wave of emotions to cover her.

"I need to go back to…wherever I was."

The woman in the room looked at her questioningly, "Why?"

"I dropped something and I need to get it."

The woman led her to the basement and Hermione searched for what she had dropped: her wand. Desperately trying to hide what it was she was looking for, Hermione scoured the concrete floor, her mind struggling with how she would grab and they not realize what it was. She heard footsteps behind her but ignored them and continued looking. She had just found her wand when Chris began to speak in a very quiet whisper, almost as if he did not want her to hear him.

" _I summon the powers_  
 _to help me cast_  
 _a spell so she'll forget_  
 _this night passed_."

Hermione had caught the word 'spell' and went into defense mode; just as Chris finished the  _spell_ she grabbed her wand and spun around.

In her head, she cast, " _Protego!_ "

The spell rebounded and hit Chris, he hit the wall behind him. He slid to the ground and for a brief moment Hermione was worried he was hurt, but then she remembered what he had done and what he had tried to do and lost all pity for him. His apparent mother was looking at her, half shocked and half angry. Smirking, she flailed her hands at Hermione. Hermione flinched, half expecting to blow up, but nothing happened, a fact to which the woman seemed to be questioning. Hermione was also questioning things.

"Who,  _the Bloody Hell_ , are you people? Death Eaters?"

Just then, white lights surrounded her and she was flown back into a wood beam behind her. Hitting her head, she made a little, " _Oh_ ," sound and sunk to the ground, knocked unconscious. Piper turned around to see her eldest standing at the top of the stairs, looking confused.

He asked, "What are Death Eaters?"


	14. the Truth Spell

**Chapter Thirteen:  
** " _the Truth Spell_ "

Hermione woke the next morning in an unfamiliar bed with a headache that could be murderous. The light coming from the window was more than she could bear and the sound of whispering was like putting a match on her ears. Daringly, she opened her eyes and saw that three women were standing before her. One of them was holding a napkin and when Hermione groaned from the pain, handed it to her. Before she could ask what it was, the woman told her that it was an aspirin. She began to ask how they knew she would be in pain, but then realized that they must have seen her hit her head on the wooden beam the night before. Hermione sat up in the bed and asked for water. Another woman handed it to her. She took the pill and stared at the women in front of her. One woman was the one who had led her to the basement and Hermione assumed she was Chris' mother. The other two, she had never seen before but based off of their cheek bones, she assumed they all were sisters. The three looked at each other, and the one in the middle, Chris' mother, nodded. They then began to chant.

" _For those who want the truth revealed,_  
opened hearts and secrets unsealed.  
From now until it's now again,  
after which the memory ends."

Hermione laughed at the thought of them, thinking that a simple chant could bewitch her into telling all her secrets. It was preposterous, you need Veritaserum for that.

The woman in the middle asked, "Who are you?"

Hermione was amazed to feel the same pull as Veritaserum and found herself answering before she could stop it, "Hermione Granger."

"Are you demon?"

She laughed and said, "No."

"A witch hunter?"

"Merlin's Beard! You must be joking! Why would I hunt witches if I am one?"

Hermione gasped and her hand flew to her mouth to keep herself from saying anymore. This all had to be some sick and strange nightmare.  _None of this is happening, I'm still sleeping…at the hotel_ , she tried to tell herself in her head but she could not fully convince herself.

The woman on the left asked, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

The one on the right laughed, "Well, if that doesn't sound like the  _Wizard of Oz_ , I don't know what does."

The woman on the left told the other to shut up and repeated herself, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

"I'm a good witch."

The one in the middle abruptly questioned, apparently not happy, "Then why did you attack us?"

"Because you kidnapped me! I should call the Ministry on you people!"

"The Ministry?"

Hermione shrugged nonchalantly, "The Ministry of Magic."

She gasped and covered her mouth again, shouting, "Stop it!"

All three asked at once, "What?"

"Stop making me tell the truth about everything!"

The one in the middle sighed, "One last question: Why are you in San Francisco?"

"To forget about Chris and the time we spent together in Venice?"

Hermione's face flushed and she could not believe that she had just said that…to them! His family! Surely they would tell him!

"Oh, no! Please don't tell him," she pleaded, "Please don't tell  _anyone_ about  _anything_!"

All three laughed and the one on the left said, "Don't worry. We won't…so long as you don't tell anyone about us."

"Oh, I won't," Hermione promised, and then asked, "Who are you people anyway?"

The woman in the middle said, "I'm Piper Halliwell, Chris' mother."

The woman on the left said, "I'm Phoebe Halliwell, her sister."

And finally, the one on the right, "I'm Paige Matthews, her other sister."

Something then occurred to Hermione, the spell they had recited had said something that sounded as if the spell would last for twenty-four hours and that afterwards, she would not remember any of it. She requested that this be remedied and Phoebe said, "Oh, why not?"

Piper smacked her and said, "Don't! That's personal gain."

Paige laughed and replied, "Not really. We're doing it to help her. It's not personal at all."

"Whatever," Piper sighed. "But if there end up being consequences, I'll have both of your heads!"

Phoebe sighed, walked over to the desk in the room and grabbed a pen and paper, which she began to write on. Then, when she was done, she and her sisters recited another chant.

" _A spell, we cast on you_  
to see if intentions were true.  
But the spell stipulates  
your memory will fade.  
No longer shall this be true  
and for the twenty-four hours through  
your words don't have to be true."

Piper rolled her eyes, smiled and then offered, "Everyone is downstairs eating breakfast; you could have some if you'd like?"

Hermione smiled in return, "That would be lovely."

The three lead her down to the dining room and when they entered, Hermione flushed a little at the sight of Chris. Upon the sight of her, they all stopped eating and stared.

Piper sighed, "She's good. Just visiting," and then she winked at Hermione and motioned for her to have a seat next to Chris. Everyone sighed in relief and continued eating. Hermione sat down and Piper placed some eggs onto a plate for her. Then, the man at the head of the table began to speak.

"Hello. I'm Leo," and then he motioned to everyone that she had not already been introduced to, "This is my oldest son, Wyatt. My son, Chris. And my daughter, Melinda."

When Leo had introduced her to Chris, Chris looked at her and smiled sadly. She could not help but look away, part of her was still furious at him for why he had done.

Leo looked at her expectantly, "And, dear, who are you?"

She tried to smile, "I'm Hermione."

Melinda looked at her with excitement, "What a pretty name. Were you named after the character in Shakespeare's play:  _The Winter's Tale_?"

Hermione looked at her with awe, amazed that she had known, "Yes, actually…I was. My mother is a big fan of Shakespeare."

Melinda nearly squealed, "So am I! Oh, we are going to get along wonderfully, I can see it!"

Beside her, Chris rolled his eyes. Hermione laughed and began to eat hesitantly.


	15. Unspoken Apologies

**Chapter Fourteen:  
** " _Unspoken Apologies_ "

Ginny woke in her hotel room to someone knocking on the door and groaned as she glanced at the clock and saw that it was only nine in the morning. Her mind ventured to the thought of Hermione locked out of her room after spending the night in the arms of a warm man. Ginny actually envied her; had Harry been there, he would have had to surrender himself to her. The knock sounded again, and Ginny got up and stomped to the door. Opening it, she saw blonde hair of a shade that only Luna could possess.

Sighing, she questioned, "What is it Luna?"

"Hermione still isn't back yet."

"She's probably sleeping, exhausted from the night's… _festivities_."

Luna flushed a little at what Ginny was insinuating, "But still…this isn't like Hermione and you know it."

Ginny sighed, "All right…we'll go look for her. Just let me get dressed."

And so the two set off to the rented car and upon reaching the car, stopped. They looked at each other for a moment, before Ginny spoke, "I don't suppose you happen to know how to drive a car, do you?"

Luna looked at her with a look that clearly said:  _Of course I don't know how to drive a car! Blimey, have you gone mental?_ _  
_

Ginny laughed a little, "Maybe we should walk?"

They began walking down the street, taking in the scenery that was San Francisco. They had not gotten far when Luna asked, "How will we know where to find her?"

Ginny simply smiled, pulled out her wand and said, " _Directus Hermione Jean Granger_ ," and then she slipped her wand up her sleeve so that no muggles would notice. Her wand led them right, then left and straight for a while, then right again. Finally, when they'd been walking for about an hour, the wand turned them onto a street and then onto the pathway leading up to a house. Ginny cancelled the spell and rang the doorbell.

Hermione was still barely eating her food. She was nervous; after all, this family had kidnapped her and now she was eating breakfast with them as if nothing happened.  Not to mention, Chris was right beside her and, despite her attraction to him, she found it quite uneasy to be in his presence. He had kidnapped her and then had tried to erase her memory of it! She felt betrayed by him, as if he was no better than Ron was when he cheated on her and when he attacked her. She had to protect herself from men like that.

Suddenly, a door bell ringing caught everyone's attention. Piper smiled and pulled herself to a standing position, saying, "I'll get it."

She went to the door, opened it and spoke to who was calling. Then, she led them into the dining room and Hermione saw Ginny and Luna staring at her. She gasped and dropped her fork on her plate, then flinched at the clatter it made.  _Wonderful…more unwanted attention_ , Hermione thought to herself as Piper explained, "These girls were looking for Hermione."

Hermione sighed, "How did you find me?"

Ginny smirked, "Oh…it was simple, really. We just needed someone to  _direct us_ in the right direction."

Hermione was confused, "Wha--Oh!"

A glance around the table would reveal that the Halliwell's were confused, but Hermione knew that they had to stay that way. Sure, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were witches, but there was no way to be sure that the rest of the family was magical. The room was silent now, as the family was almost waiting for someone to explain. When no one did, Piper cleared her throat and offered Ginny and Luna breakfast.

"Anyway! Would you ladies like some breakfast?"

Hermione groaned when Ginny and Luna accepted. Piper went into the kitchen and then returned with chairs and plates. Now, Piper, Leo, Phoebe, Paige, Wyatt, Chris, Melinda, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione were all crammed together at the dining room table. If Hermione hadn't been so annoyed, she might have found it comical. Everyone was hitting someone with something. Most of the conversation made was in apologies. Chris' elbow hit Hermione's arm and he nearly panicked as he said that he was sorry.

During the breakfast, Ginny smirked and said, "Bloody Hell, Hermione! Why didn't you tell us you were leaving with someone? You could have saved us a right bit amount of worry!"

Hermione quickly glanced around the room, noticing that all of the Halliwell family was watching intently, nearly terrified of what she would say. Daring a look towards Chris, she saw how he was staring down at his plate, refusing to acknowledge the existence of anyone at the table. Hermione sighed, knowing they all were afraid she would tell her friends that she'd been kidnapped.

She stammered, "It was…actually, it was a little spur of the moment and…I'm afraid I forgot to let you both know I was leaving…"

The Halliwell family shared a sigh of relief and Hermione pondered if she should have told them about the kidnapping. After all, their excuse had more than enough room for holes. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were witches, and it was very well possible that Chris was as well but she refused to accept it, and they had used their magic to force her to tell the truth. Worse yet, was that they need no Veritaserum to do so. This could be a family of Death Eaters, using magic that the side of light had yet to learn; using  _wand-less_ magic, which terrified Hermione. Those who'd been in the Order of Phoenix had been a powerful lot, but most could only use wand-less magic for the simplest of spells. And a truth spell would be no easy spell, even though in the world of magic that Hermione had been taught there was no spell that would make a person tell the truth; that was the reason for Veritaserum. Attempting to wipe her fears away, Hermione told herself that if these people were Death Eaters they would have recognized who she was immediately and would have attacked her right then. Feeling a little more at east, she looked at Chris, who was eating solemnly, and wondered if he knew that she decided that it was impossible he would know and she planned to keep it what way.

Through all of her thoughts, she had not noticed that everyone had finished their breakfast. She looked down shamefully at her plate and hoped that her lack of appetite had not insulted Piper, should she be on the side of light as well.

"We should probably get going," Luna said, "We have to make sure we are home in time for work."

"Yes, we have a…uhm…plane to catch," Hermione explained.

Ginny smirked, "We'll definitely have to get together again sometime… I'm sure Hermione and Chris would have quite the reunion."

Hermione glared at Ginny for what she was insinuating, knowing that she'd been the one to lead her to those thoughts, and could not help but blush.

"Yes, I'm sure we would," Chris agreed.

Hermione looked at him, nearly amazed that he had spoken and almost angry that he was encouraging the thoughts that Ginny was having. She looked to her friend and saw that she just smirking knowingly, and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle…how little she actually knew.

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna excused themselves from the table, the entire family following behind. They headed for the door and Ginny and Luna went through. Hermione took one last glance at the family and one last glance at Chris. He had an apologetic air to his face and looked as if he wanted to say something to her, but she did not want to hear anymore about night's events and merely followed her friends out the door. The sooner this disaster of a vacation was over, the better. The three then headed back to the hotel to grab their things and Apparate home.

Once the door was shut and the girls out of view, Piper wondered aloud, "Do you think she'll tell?"

Phoebe smiled, "She wondered if she should, but decided against it."

And then she looked to her youngest nephew, who was now stomping grumpily to his room, and sighed a knowing and pensive sigh, wondering,  _Why must they fight it?_


	16. Of Time and Death

**Chapter Fifteen:  
** " _Of Time and Death_ "

Hermione slept with no dreams to disturb or enlighten her sleep. It was a passive sleep, a sleep in which was near waking but refused to do so. She did not dare open her eyes, for she knew she would wake alone. Sometimes, she secretly wanted to allow Ron back into her life just so that she may sleep in the warm arms of a man, arms that would protect her from any harm. But she knew in her heart that, though she may, on lonely mornings like this, want him back, it would not benefit her at all. He had betrayed her trust with what he did with Lavender and she doubted that she would ever totally forgive him enough to accept his feelings for her. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few moments before she got out of the bed and made herself some coffee. Once she had herself a cup of steaming hot coffee, she sat down at her dining table and stared at the papers in front of her. Though she was still on her one month vacation, she was determined to understand the enigmatic passages. She read through them for the first time since Oak Alley Plantation.

She was about to take a sip of coffee when her mind locked on the second passage. Thrilled that she was so near to figuring out the mystery, she read it again:

> _In the path of the sun  
> _ _a never ending orbit  
> _ _The circle stops for no man  
> _ _yet seems to stop when there is no_  
>  man left to live it

"Of course," she exclaimed out loud, "Time! How could I have been so blind?"

She smugly reread the passage out loud, as if she was trying to prove to some unseen audience her reasoning. Smiling broadly, she looked to the first passage:

> _All time halts for those who seek  
> _ _fortune's bitter enemy_  
>  Lies who haunt but do not speak  
> in grief of secret  
> forever hidden in secrecy

"And what about you?" She questioned eyeballing the first passage with determination, "What are you for? Greed? No, that would be too easy. What then?"

Suddenly, she gasped and she knew, "Death! Of course! How could I have not seen it before!"

She did not know how it was that she suddenly knew what the enigmas meant, when they were written so vague and nearly incomprehensible, but she knew in her heart that she was right. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she ran into her bedroom and threw on a white shirt and a pair of jeans. Once she was dressed, she Apparated to the Ministry of Magic, completely forgetting her lovely cup of coffee on the table, and checked in, as you were now required to do. It was a protection program that made it so that anyone who was not welcome could not come.

When she signed her name, the witch at the counter questioned, "What are you doing here, Miss Granger? It says here that you are in the middle of a one month vacation."

Hermione merely laughed, "Oh, you know me…married to my work and all."

"Perhaps you should have a love affair?"

"Perhaps…let me know if you find any decent men."

The witch laughed and allowed Hermione to be on her way. Hermione followed her normal route to the Department of Mysteries, passing by familiar faces along the way; one such being Arthur Weasley.

"All right today, Hermione?"

She smiled, "I'm doing just fine. And yourself?"

"A little tired, but fine all the same. If you don't mind my asking…what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at home?"

Hermione laughed, but rolled her eyes. She really needed to tell the Head Unspeakable what she had found, "Yes…well, I found out something fairly interesting and I need to tell my boss about it."

He nodded, understanding, "I'll let you get to it, then. Take care now, Hermione, and don't be afraid to visit."

"I won't, Mr. Weasley," she said and then, after being scolded and told to call him Arthur, corrected, "Arthur. Say hello to Molly for me?"

He promised that he would and she sped off. She had no time to spend fooling around and sharing small talk. She had finally proved to herself that she had actually been put on a valuable assignment and she couldn't help but want to rush to prove herself worthy to the Head Unspeakable. When she finally made it to the Department of Mysteries, her excitement filled the sector like some kind of kinetic tangibility. She ran through walls, running pass many other Unspeakables. Her light footsteps, padding quickly across the stone floor, were like the furious beats of her heart and when she entered in through the door of the Head Unspeakable's office, she almost felt disappointed that she could no longer experience the rush of anticipation.

"Unspeakable Granger," a voice rang out at her, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on vacation."

"Yes, I know," she said, reaching into her purse to retrieve her notes on the passages, "but I've just figured something about these enigmas that I think you should know."

"Well…it damn well better be good for you to come rushing in here when you aren't even supposed to be thinking about work."

Hermione smiled, anticipation rising in her again, "Oh, it is! I finally figured out what they are about and, as it turns out, we have specific chambers for what each passage is for."

Her boss raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, "Really? Well, let's hear it, then."

Hermione explained what she now believed the passages represented. The Head Unspeakable listened intently and, when Hermione finished, spoke, "Right… I want you take the one that you think is about Time to the Time Chamber and then, when you're done with that, I want you to better understand the one about Death. It most likely has something to do with the Veil and if it does, I want to know about it."

Hermione nodded and smiled, then headed towards the Time Chamber to present the Unspeakable in charge there with the information she had discovered. The man seemed greatly appreciative of her discovery and even hugged her quickly when she presented the documents. Afterward, she headed to her office to try to decipher what the enigmatic passage of Death meant and the secrets it held. She sat down, reading the passage. Line by line, she put the passage into easier words.

> _All time halts for those who seek (Time stops for people who search for…)_  
>  fortune's bitter enemy (money? greed?)  
> Lies who haunt but do not speak (Ghost who have a secret lie but tell none)  
> in grief of secret (the secret is a painful one)  
> forever hidden in secrecy (The secret will always be a secret)

Hermione, even after her translations had been written, was still perplexed. Something just did not seem right. Had she been wrong with her translations? She tried again; changing some things, while remaining firm on others.

> _All time halts for those who seek (Time stops for people who search for…)_  
>  fortune's bitter enemy (money? greed? truth?)   
> Lies who haunt but do not speak (A lie told in the past, but that has yet to be revealed)   
> in grief of secret (The lie is a painful secret)   
> forever hidden in secrecy (The lie/secret will always be a secret)

She was still confused. Her translations made sense for the passage, and yet they did not seem to fit. What did any of this have to do with the Death Chamber, or the Veil? Then she realized that there must be more to discover and that this would only lead her in that direction. But one thing still troubled her. What exactly did ' _All time halts_ ' mean? Did it mean that time stopped because the people were dead or that, for some unknown reason, they did not age? Annoyed that it seemed nearly impossible for her to solve the mystery, Hermione took her translations to the Head Unspeakable to inform her of her findings.

"Unspeakable Granger," the Head Unspeakable proclaimed, "What are you doing here? I trust you to have some valuable information for me."

Hermione nodded.

"Well, let's see it then."

Hermione handed her boss the paper upon which she had her translations. Her boss read through what she had written, nodding occasionally. Then finally, she looked to Hermione and handed the paper back.

"Right, it's good. I want you to try to find out more."

Hermione nodded once more and began to walk back to her office, but then her boss began to speak again, "Oh… err… Unspeakable Granger?"

"Yes."

"Go home. You've been stressing yourself out lately. Go home and work, if you like, but stay relaxed… I don't need my best worker having a mental relapse."

Reluctantly, Hermione agreed and went home, where she devoured the words of the enigmatic passage inside and out. Finally, she became exhausted and went to bed, where nightmarish dreams plagued her.


	17. Mediterranean Dreams

**Chapter Sixteen:  
** " _Mediterranean Dreams_ "

Hermione tensed in her dreaming. Haunting images from the past lashed through her dreams at an old wound. Over and over, the death of Sirius Black replayed in her mind.  _She was fighting ferociously, dueling with all the magic she held in her veins. Her competitor was masked, but it didn't matter. She didn't care who she was fighting, whose wand could instantly_ _steal her breath away forever. All that mattered was that her life could easily be over and a huge part of her refused to allow the possibility to exist. A scream pierced her concentration, and the concentration of her competitor, and she took advantage of his distraction and stunned him. Running in the direction of the scream, she saw Harry and Lupin. Lupin was holding Harry and for a brief moment she feared that Harry had been injured. But then she heard his screams and her brain understood what he was saying._

_"Sirius!"_

_Hermione gasped, running to him to console him. But then, scene returned to the beginning and she was once again fighting that some competitor and hearing that same scream. She was making the same actions and reactions, experiencing it all numerous, treacherous times…until finally she entered upon a new scene._

_Sirius was standing alone, in front of a Mediterranean style building. He spun in circles, as if searching the distance for an unseen presence. Suddenly, his face widened in fear and he took in another direction. Through a forest, he ran, glancing back every so often and occasionally tripping over the brush. Ultimately, he fell on the ground and, pulling his hair with his hands, he screamed, "Get me out of here!"_

Hermione awoke abruptly, her entire body shaking with nerves. For a brief moment, she laid in the bed nearly afraid to move. Finally, she calmed enough to go back to sleep and returned to the treacherous dreams.

_Sirius was standing alone, in front of a Mediterranean style building. He spun in circles, as if searching the distance for an unseen presence. Suddenly, his face widened in fear and he took in another direction. Through a forest, he ran, glancing back every so often and occasionally tripping over the brush. Ultimately, he fell on the ground and, pulling his hair with his hands, he screamed, "All time halts for those who seek fortunes bitter enemy. Lies who haunt but do not speak in grief of secret, forever hidden in secrecy."_

_As if the_ _insanity of it all was more than he could take, he finished with, "Get me out of here!"_

Again, she sat up hastily and for a moment she felt as if she would faint. She felt lightheaded and grabbed hold of the bedposts for support. When she recovered from this excursion, she got up from her bed and headed to her dining table, where the passage was. She saw the paper on the top and sighed, placing her fingers gently on it, unconsciously aware that this passage that she worked so hard on deciphering could hold the key to saving the life of Sirius Black.

Overwhelmed, in a hoarse voice she whispered, "Sirius…"

Hours later, she woke to a knock on her door. Groaning, she got up from the table and stretched her stiff limbs. The knock sounding again and she mumbled, "I'm coming… I'm coming."

She opened the door and saw Ron standing at the door, fidgeting in his stance, shifting from one leg to the other and back again. The mere sight pained her heart and for a moment she considered hugging him to take the pain away. The moment, however short lived, infuriated her, for she could not want to reach for him, she could not want to touch him lovingly anymore. He'd broken her heart and a small fraction of her mind would never forgive him.

"Hello, Ronald."

"Errm… Hey, Hermione."

"Is something wrong? Someone hurt?"

He chuckled a bit, "No…but I…errm…"

"You…?"

"I wanted to apologize for what happened…that night, on your birthday. It was totally inappropriate and I shouldn't have done it, drunk or not."

She tried to smile, "Ron, you've already apologized for that…and I've already forgiven you for that."

"I know…but that last one…it wasn't good enough. You deserve so much better than that."

She smiled a little awkwardly, "Well…apology accepted…again."

He stammered, "I…I…I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for the other thing, too."

"I have forgiven you for that, Ronald," she said, rolling her eyes and knowing what he would say next.

"Could you also find it in your heart to take me back? I promise I will be good to you this time, true to you."

She sighed, "I don't think that is possible."

"Well, thanks for forgiving me, anyway," he said, disheartened, before he left.

Sighing, she headed for her kitchen and began to brew some tea until another knock at the door interrupted her. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Malfoy standing in her doorway, looking positively smug.

"What do you want, Malfoy," she snapped, rather irritated.

"You're still seeing that Weasel prat, then? Not a very smart move, is it?"

"I'm not seeing anymore," she retorted, starting to close the door, "And it's none of your business, anyway."

He smirked, putting his foot in the way of the door, "Well…you know, if ever felt that your little apartment was now too big and lonely, perhaps…my apartment could be inviting for an evening?"

She shook off the disgusting ideas he was insinuating and replied, rather sharply, "A bit desperate, are we? Going after a  _mudblood_ now? I'd rather not."

Apparently, he chose to ignore her first statement, "You don't know what you're missing…"

She kicked his foot out of the way and slammed the door, "I have a vague idea."

Rolling her eyes, she returned to the table and read the passage again. She pondered the purpose and its meaning. Her mind ventured to the possibility of it being about the Veil. She wondered if her dream had meant anything and if it could be connected to the passage. She allowed her mind to think of the possibility of this being the key to bringing Sirius back…but quickly shook her head. Sirius Black was dead and you can't bring someone back from the dead.


End file.
